My Free Tutor: John Steinbeck

When I self-reflect and try to think about where my inspiration for reading and writing originated, it is all because of this man. I was never a fan of the major authors that most teens will accredit their favorite book in high school, like F. Scott Fitzgerald or Shakespeare, but for me there was John Steinbeck. His writing kept my young, ADHD brain at full attention, and for that he deserves all of the awards in the world. His writing was so different to me. He didn't treat me like I was a stupid reader who needed to learn something. He didn't take me off on these long, metaphorical journeys through the fields of corn to express how an existential crisis was looming over my head. But what he did do is keep his sentences simple and made me feel like I was sitting with him and he was telling me a story about something that happened over the past week.

It is also neat that John Steinbeck was a war reporter, considering that his career is a mirror-image of what I am wanting to do. Not that I want to be a war reporter, but the idea of being a journalist and writing novels has been my dream for years. I think that because of the strong journalistic approach that Steinbeck takes when writing, that there is such a strong presence of peace for the people and doing what is right and just. That is something that is admirable to me because I don't believe that every story has a happy ending. Some stories end and you are left feeling like shit, and that is okay. Life isn't a pretty, perfect story. We need the hard decisions, the bad decisions, and the mistakes to keep us grounded and I am so thankful that I have learned that lesson from my free tutor: John Steinbeck.